Process of fixing the finish on cotton piece goods.



Patented Mar. I3, mu.

.M. S. SHARP. PROCESS OF FIXING THE FINISH ON COTTON PIECE GOODS.

. (Application filed Aug. 26, 1898.)

(N o M 0 d e l I 2 Sheats-Sheet l,

l/V VENTOH JW/TNESSES; 14,.

Patented Faiar. 53 I900. m. s. SHARP.

PROCESS OF FiXiNG THE FINISH ON COTTON PIECE GOODS.

T (ZZZ whom it 1110 concern:

NITED STATES.

l ATENT Fr es;

MILTON SHERIDAN SHARP, OF HEOKMONDWIIIE, ENGLAND.

srncrrrcatrron forming-partof Letters latent so. 645,237, dated March 13, 1900.

Application filed August 26, 1898. Serial No. 689,5 97. (No specimens.)

Be it known that I, MILTON SHERIDAN SHARP, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Heclcmondwike, in the county of York, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in I Processes of Fixingthe Finish on Cotton Piece the same.

Goods and I do hereby declare the following to be a clear'and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make an d-use The object of my invention is to finish cotton piece goods 'of the class called Italians, suchas are generally used for the lining .of coats, in such a manner that the luster is more uniformly brilliant, having a silk like appearance, and of a more permanent character than is the case with fabrics treated in the ordinary manner. r

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a-side elevation of an ordinary stretching-machine suitable for stretching and damping the fabric. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; Fig. 3, a detached detailed plan of a portion of the stretching-machine chain; Fig. 4, an end view of the same; Fig. 5, an elevation of an ordinary steam-heated hydraulicpress, partly in section; and Fig. 6, an end View of the same.

In carrying out my invention .the cotton piece goods are in the first instance finished as hitherto in anyof the well-known ways of pressing, calendering, or embossing; but, as is well known, the finish so produced is not permanent, as the luster is damaged or destroyed when the fabric is by any means damped or in the making up of garments.

In order that the luster produced'by any of the ordinary methods may be permanently fixed and of uniform brilli'ancy, free from spots throughout the entire length and breadth of the'fabric, I damp the fabric uniformly, preferably by subjecting the fabric to steam at a lowtemperaturethat is. to say, by what is known as Wet or saturated steam. This I find can be conveniently'done during thetime the fabric is passing through a stretching-machine of the ordinary construction, such as is used in one of the stages of finishing.

The stretching-machine is provided with sprocket-wheels A A and B B.

jointed pipes S, as usual;

The wheels A A are mounted on shaft 0, and B B on shaft .D, to which rotary motion is imparted in any convenient manner. The sprocket-wheels A 'A are placed upon the shaft 0, nearer to each other than are sprocket-wheels B B, and upon thewheels are mounted chains E and E. Each link of' the'chains is provided with a series of pins F, upon which the fabric is hooked .and passed slowly through the machine-in the direction of the arrow, and by the sprocket- A wheels B B being farther apart than. are the wheels A A the fabricon passing through the machine is stretched. The stretched fabric is stripped from the pins F bythe ordinary rotating rollers G G and passed over roller H, driven by a belt passing over pulleys J J. The chains E and E pass through here guides K'K, which are also farther apart at theend next wheels B B than at the end next wheels'A A. r

'In the stretching-machine are placed a series of shallow troughs L between the side frames M ofthe machine and the under side of the chains E and E with the fabric thereon, or the trough. may extend the length of" the chain box-guides K K. In either case I place a series of steam-jet pipes P, regulated by taps, on the opening of which wet orsaturated steam is injected into the trough or troughs. The steam on rising and escaping from the trough or troughs passes through the fabric above same, thereby thoroughly and uniformly damping the same. The damped fabric, finished by any of the ordinary processes hitherto in use, is then folded along with press-papers of the kind hither-to in use, but damped, the finished'or lustrous side of the fabric in each fold being in contact with one side of a damped press-paper. The folded fabric and damped press-papers are then placed between the plates R R of an ordinary hydraulic press, which areheated by steam passing through the jointed pipes S into the hollow plates R and escaping through the The folded fabric and damped press-papers placed between the heated hollow plates R R are subjected to great pressure applied to the ram WV in the ordinary manner, heat being applied to the said plates by the regulation of the supply of steam as may be'required to obtain the amount IOC of luster or brilliancy in the fixed finish. After subjecting the folded fabric and damp press-papers to heat and pressure for a period they are taken out of the press, the damped press-papers removed, and the cotton fabric wrapped in a thickfold of dry cotton cloth, preferably in a condition it is in as it the thickness or weight and quality ofthe fabric on which the luster is to be permanently fixed.

What I claim as my invention is The process of fixing the luster on cotton piece goods consisting in damping and folding and subjecting them to pressure, then wrapping the fabric in a fold of dry cotton cloth -an i subjecting'them to heat and pressure in the manner substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

MILTON SHERIDAN SHARP. Witnesses:

JNo. GILL,- JOSEPH KIRBY.

the fabric along with damped press-papers, 

